Game 3 between the Yankees and Red Sox was shaping up to be a classic rookie showdown. Featuring Boston’s Connelly Early going up against New York’s Cam Schlittler. Both came out strong, but things quickly got messy for Connelly as he gave up four runs in the fourth inning. Schlittler, on the other hand, has been absolutely dominant, completely shutting down the Red Sox lineup with not a single run allowed.

But with Roman Anthony sidelined due to injury, Boston’s offense has taken a real hit, averaging just 3.5 runs per game by early September. And then there’s Rafael Devers… Are the Red Sox really feeling his absence?

Now, as their bats struggle against Schlittler, fans can’t help but long for the days when their “OG Yankees killer” used to deliver. “This series, in which the Red Sox have scored six runs, should put to rest the ridiculous notion that they are somehow better without Rafael Devers.“ Red Sox loyalist Scott Shuster shared.

“I do think that there is a real chance that at the end of the season, when we’re looking back, we’ll have won more games than we otherwise would have.” Back in June, Red Sox president Craig Breslow sounded confident talking about the team’s probable performance without Devers.

At the time of trading Devers to the Giants, Boston was 37-36, and they ended the regular season with a 89-73 record. Huge improvement? We don’t think so. And now, just when the Red Sox gasped for an offensive surge in the clutch time, Breslow’s statement is stinging the Boston fans more than anything.

But what if the Red Sox still had Rafael Devers? Let’s check the stats. In 119 career games vs. the Yankees, Devers hit .270 with 31 HRs and 78 RBIs. And if that wasn’t enough, he was basically Gerrit Cole’s worst nightmare. He batted .350 with 8 HRs and 20 RBIs in just 44 at-bats against him.

So when the Sox offense came up flat against Schlittler, it’s hard not to imagine how different things might’ve been if Devers had been in that lineup.

Red Sox president gets called out by the fans

We still remember that iconic moment in the Bronx when Devers crushed Aroldis Chapman’s 103 mph fastball to tie the game back in 2017. That’s what started the trend of Yankee Killer tag for Devers. Fans just wish that someone could have pulled off such antics this time as well. “What if this Red Sox lineup had Rafael Devers?” one fan said. “Would be sick to have a certain Yankee killer named Rafael Devers rn,” added another.

No, it’s not guaranteed that the presence of Devers would have won the game for the Red Sox tonight. However, having someone who was smashing .350 against Cole might have found it easy to go against Schlittler.

“This series is a perfect example of why the Rafael Devers trade was a terrible decision.” One fan questioned the legitimacy of the trade. Well, it’s not that Devers performed exceptionally after parting ways with the Red Sox. Before trade, he was averaging .272 for the Red Sox this year. And with the Giants, he averaged .236 this year. But Alex Bregman, who came in the hot corner replacing Devers, finished the regular season with a .273 BA. So yes, the Devers trade couldn’t bring the expected result for the team.

“Debate a wall. I’m sick of pretending that trading Rafael Devers has paid off in any way. This team traded someone who would be a top 3 hitter in this offense. Didn’t trade for any quality starting pitcher, and relied on the idea of a platoon too much. We got what they paid for.” Another user shared why trading Devers proved so costly for the Red Sox.

“I miss Roman Anthony. I miss Rafael Devers,” one user remarked, what entire Red Sox fans are discussing. While it was enough for the Red Sox to miss Devers tonight, the absence of Anthony proved injurious. The young rookie was hitting .292 before getting injured, and Game 3 showed how the team is still gasping for offense.